Fall River police arrest man and woman accused of trying to set up man for armed robbery

Friday

Jul 18, 2014 at 5:26 PMJul 18, 2014 at 5:41 PM

Alleged victim originally told police he had picked up woman, who propositioned him for sex

Brian Fraga Herald News Staff Reporter @BfragaHN

FALL RIVER — Police have arrested a Fall River man and woman who are accused of setting up another man for an attempted armed robbery last month.

In that incident, the 58-year-old victim originally told police that he picked up a woman who had propositioned him for sex in the area of North Main Street and President Avenue on June 21, according to police reports.

After driving her to a nearby parking lot, the victim said he tried getting the woman to leave his vehicle when a man, armed with a hammer, approached and demanded his money. When the victim tried backing away, the armed assailant struck him with the hammer, but the assailant and the woman left the area without taking any of the victim’s belongings, according to court documents.

The alleged victim later told Fall River Police Detective Thomas Chace that he had not picked up a prostitute, but instead gave the woman a ride after she flagged him down. During the ride, he said the woman called someone on her cellphone, said “almost there,” and that she then locked herself in his vehicle after he got out of the car to physically remove her from the passenger's seat, according to court records.

The alleged victim described the woman as thin, blonde, wearing an orange shirt and the male assailant as bald, muscular and in his mid-50s, according to police reports.

Fall River Police Detective Sgt. Andrew Joseph identified David J. Villari, 42, and Evelyn Frederick, 44, both of 1538 N. Main St., as possible suspects, based on the victim’s descriptions and the proximity of their residence to the crime scene. The victim also identified Villari and Frederick as the suspects after being shown photo arrays that included their photographs, according to court documents.

Fall River Police Vice and Intelligence Unit detectives had previously executed a search warrant at the suspects’ residence, according to court documents.

Frederick is currently on probation in Fall River District Court for a pending case where she is charged with being a common nightwalker. In November 2013, Villari received a suspended sentence until January 2015 for an assault and battery conviction, according to police reports.

Villari and Frederick were both arraigned Thursday on charges of armed assault to rob and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Villari was ordered held on $1,500 cash bail while Frederick was held on $1,000 cash bail. Both are scheduled to return to court Aug. 15 for probable cause hearings.